Dexter King, the youngest son of civil rights icon Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr, passed away today. King, 62, passed due to prostate cancer according to the family estate.

“He transitioned peacefully in his sleep at home with me in Malibu,” said his wife, Leah Weber King. “He gave it everything and battled this terrible disease until the end. As with all the challenges in his life, he faced this hurdle with bravery and might.”

King was born on Jan. 30, 1961. He was named after Dexter Avenue Baptist Church in Montgomery, AL, where his father led his first pastorate. Like his father, he attended Morehouse College as a business administration major. In 2005, he became the chairman, president, and chief executive officer of the King Center.

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Officially named The Martin Luther King, Jr. Center for Nonviolent Social Change, the King Center is a nonprofit organization with the goal of educating and continuing the legacy of Martin Luther King, Jr. His wife, Coretta Scott King, established the center in 1968. It's currently headed by MLK's youngest child, Dr. Bernice A. King. She also gave a statement about her brother's passing.

“Words cannot express the heart break I feel from losing another sibling,” she said. Her older sister, Yolanda King, died at 51 in 2007. “I'm praying for strength to get through this very difficult.”

“I am deeply saddened to share that my brother, Dexter Scott King, has passed away,” said the fourth King sibling, Martin Luther King III. “The sudden shock is devastating. It is hard to have the right words at a moment like this. Please keep  the entire King family in your prayers, and in particular Dexter's wife, Leah Weber.”